First Utah Certified Community Wildlife Habitat

Congratulations to the City of Nibley!

Nibley, located south of Logan in Northern Utah’s Cache County, is nestled in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains approaching 10,000 feet. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Nibley to present their Community Wildlife Habitat certificate and celebrate with the team and the city. The celebration event was held at a local park in conjunction with the city’s annual seed, bulb and plant exchange.

Coneflowers. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald/ NWF

The effort was led by an amazing team of volunteers with the Cache Valley Wildlife Association and our Team Leader, Ron Hellstern. Ron took me on a tour of Nibley pointing out the National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat signs posted through the city. On Hollow Road, a beautiful neighborhood that runs parallel to the Blacksmith Fork River, we counted more than 20 certified homes with signs posted on mailboxes, trees and fence posts.

An example of one of Nibley’s education tables. Photo by Patrick Fitzgerald/ NWF

In fact, the team in Nibley has certified 87 homes, 16 parks and businesses, and all 5 schools in the city, thus restoring and creating habitat for butterflies, song birds and other wildlife right in the area. Additionally, the team also hosted several education and outreach events (like the seed, bulb and plant exchange) over the last three years, including:

Hosting an annual Certified Wildlife Habitat Garden Tour where 6 habitats were on display for the public to visit, talk to homeowners and get ideas for their own wildlife gardens!

Establishing a new 20 acre nature park where rare fireflies have been spotted in recent years.

Hosting songbird identification and rainwater harvesting workshops.

Distributing educational materials at the weekly farmer’s market.

Nibley Mayor Shaun Dustin attended the event and commended the Cache Valley Wildlife Association and citizens that helped earn this certification for Nibley. He also acknowledged how the effort to certify Nibley and related environmental efforts were making a positive impact on public policy in the city.

The event concluded with the tagging and release of monarch butterflies facilitated by team member Becky Yeager. This citizen science effort is designed to help understand the migratory patterns of monarchs from the inter-mountain west.